Joe McIntyre/staff photographer
Cincinnatus firefighter Jim Parker, left, is helped by Willet firefighter Dick Deiss Jr., while setting up for the Cincinnatus Firemen’s Field Days which takes place July 4-6.

By IAN BOUDREAU
Staff Reporter
iboudreau@cortlandstandard.net
CINCINNATUS — The annual three-day Firemen’s Field Days will be held at a new location this year — an 18.5-acre plot of land on Route 26 that will be the site of a new firehouse.
The festival, held annually on the Ffourth of July weekend, features music, a talent show, snowmobile drag-racing and a fireworks display.
In past years, fairgoers had to move from the festival site to the Cincinnatus High School grounds to watch the fireworks. This year, there’s enough room at the new site to host the fireworks.
Firemen’s Field Days committee Chairman Dean Catlin said the event draws attendance from a large area.
“People come from other states, other counties, Syracuse and Binghamton,” he said. “This is one of the things that puts Cincy on the map.”
Catlin said money raised by the chicken barbecue will go toward the fire department’s future firehouse, which he said will cost between $1.2 million and $1.6 million.
The land, which the department purchased for about $86,000 using money raised in bingo, will be used to host other fundraising events throughout the year.
This year’s Firemen’s Field Days is being looked at as the start of the fundraising campaign for the fire station and an opportunity to show off the site, Catlin said.
Part of the station site would be used for a soccer field and helicopter landing pad.
The fire department is planning the move in part because the current firehouse site at 5722 Telephone Road Extension is prone to flooding.
Catlin said the fireworks display at Firemen’s Field Days, scheduled for 9:45 p.m. Sunday, is one of the biggest in the area.
There will be plenty to do in the days leading up to the fireworks, though.
Friday begins with registration for the snowmobile drag race at 10 a.m., with racing set to start at noon.
Catlin said he has heard from a potential racer who claims to have a snowmobile with twin turbo engines and “nitrous” boosters and says his machine can reach speeds of 140 mph.
Tuesday, Catlin and several Cincinnatus firefighters worked on their off time to prepare the site.
“When we got here Saturday, there was just the electric panel,” Catlin said. Since then, he and other volunteers have erected several pavilion tents and a large barbecue pit for the firefighter’s chicken cookout, which will run throughout the festival.
Catlin said several Midway-style rides will run during the event, including swings, a jousting arena, an obstacle course and a dunk tank.
A parade is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, and Catlin said organizers are still accepting entries.
The Cincinnatus Firemen’s Field Days is a non-alcoholic event, Catlin said, and is designed to appeal to everyone in the family.
“We’re going to have things for everybody of all ages,” he said.
The festival runs Friday through Sunday.